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Its our November giveaway! We are super excited to have up teamed up with Afro Hair Solutions this month.

Afro Hair Solutions is an online store that sells African and Caribbean hair and skin products, for today's health and beauty conscious consumers. All the products available are tried and tested and they only sell products that they believe in and that you can trust. Their products help to support and maintain a healthier lifestyle. On this website you can find useful tips and secrets as well as advice on how to use each of our products.

Win Afro Hair Solutions Let it Grow Hot Oil Treatment

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Winter is upon us and as naturals we know that this weather can really damage our hair. We however don’t have to be victims to the gruesome weather, let’s take a look at how we can win the fight against the winter season this year. First let us see why the winter weather causes so much damage to our natural hair.

Why does winter affect my hair?

Hair is naturally hygroscopic, which essentially means that it draws moisture or water from the environment. Unfortunately in the winter there is no real moisture in the air because the air is so dry, and without moisture our hair gets dry and brittle. The elements have left our mane vulnerable and those naturals that have an issue with dryness in other seasons, face a particularly harder struggle during the winter. Let us now go on to look at what can be done before and during the winter to fight against dry hair.

Deep Condition and Deep Condition Again

The importance of deep conditioning cannot be overemphasized and especially in light of the winter season. If you haven’t started deep conditioning, it’s time to add this to your hair regimen in preparation for the season. Find a good deep conditioner that restores moisture, provides elasticity and that can repair damaged hair.

Get Those Oil Treatments!

Oil treatments can do wonders for your hair in the winter time. You can try a hot oil treatment, and do a mix with the oils that work best for your hair. You can also prep your hair for washing by adding oil to your hair before shampooing, to prevent the shampoo from taking away all the moisture you need. Adding oil to your winter regimen can also help with dry scalp that might flair up during this season. It is also important to seal your ends with light oils like jojoba or olive oil.

Protective Styling is Recommended

This is an important addition for the winter; winter isn’t the best time to be wearing our hair out. It’s important that we keep our ends protected. Try braiding, twists and buns to keep your hair cute and protected. Winter time is also when we draw for our wool caps, this isn’t necessarily a good option for natural hair, the wool or cotton can draw all the moisture from your hair or even tug at your strands and cause breakage. If you want to go for a style that covers your hair, its best that you go for a silk wrap. There are many styles for wrapping turbans that can keep you fashionable and protected.

Remember this winter that you can be victorious over this harsh weather. Moisture is key to winning this fight and it’s equally important that we maintain the moisture. Don’t lose hope this winter, deep condition, add oil and use sealant methods to your regimen and protect your ends from the gusty cold winds.

Natural hair is so versatile and can be manipulated into many styles. Natural ladies have so many options now and especially with the invention of Google and YouTube its hard to not find something creative to try. Many naturals have now begun to appreciate having their hair out and not confined to a particular style and so in honour of losing restrictions, let us take a look at 4 ways to make your curls pop.

Why isn’t my curl pattern defined?

Lets first look at some reasons why your hair might not be defining its curls. There are a few things that keep your hair from reaching its true curl definition. Many times naturals desire to change up their look, so they opt for a blow out and then straighten their hair. This is not a bad thing, but doing it constantly can really put some strain on your hair. This practice can cause heat damage and cause your natural hair to lose its curl pattern. Sometimes to repair the damage that heat causes, there might need to be trimming and lots of protein treatments to restore the strands. Another reason why your curl pattern may not be as defined is because your hair might lack moisture. We all know that our curl pattern is most obvious when our hair is wet, much like this our curls need a lot of moisture to be as defined as possible. Since the start of the natural hair revolution there have been many products on the market that claim to do many things and fail quite frequently. One such type of product is the ones that promise to elongate your curls, because naturals don’t like the shrinkage monster. These products may have an adverse effect on your hair and may mess up your curl pattern. Alongside these reasons there is the fact that some naturals just don’t know what can actually keep their curl definition , so here are some super easy ways to define your curls:

Two stand twist outs and braid outs

This method is easy and as the name suggests it is simply twisting or braiding your hair and then pulling it out. To maximize definition, may people do these twists or braids on damp or wet hair, so when it dries the curls are well defined. Also to get the most definition out of this style, a curling crème and gel could be added to enhance curls, for a good hold and to prevent frizz. These twists or braids are very convenient because they can be worn as a style by themselves until you’re ready to grace the world with your amazing twist or braid out. The bonus of keeping the style in longer is that when pulling out, the definition would be even more amazing.

Wash and go

These names are really indicative of what the style really is, the concept essentially says that you wash your hair and go without “styling.” Okay, maybe it isn’t as simplistic as that, but it is a super easy way of defining your curls. The idea is that you wash your hair, then saturate it with conditioner, to see the true beauty of your curl pattern, you rinse that out and add a curling crème and gel and shake your head, until excess water is gone and then you have your wash and go. This method may not work for everyone, especially those naturals with tighter coils, but luckily there are a few other wash and go techniques that provide the same result. Some naturals may have to do “raking” which really is just using your fingers to comb through your curls, while its wet until you get your desired definition. Another technique is the smoothing or “praying method” where your hair is in the clasp of your hands and move from root to end.

Bantu knot out

This curl definition technique brings with it a lot of volume. What is done is that you twist your hair and then wind it into a bump and then when dried you pull it out and get voluminous curls.

Finger coils

This style is done best when your hair is wet. You would saturate your hair with water, then your curling product and then some gel for hold, and twirl your hair around your finger until all of it looks like spiral.

You can try these methods and see a world of difference in your curl pattern!

I was so very excited to read this book when I first heard about it. I have met the author, Tola, several times in her capacity as 'My Long Hair Journey' blogger and so was overjoyed to find out she had written a book. Not only about little girls and afro hair but about the relationship between Daddys and daughters.What is Daddy Do my Hair About?

It’s Sunday evening and dinner is over. Beth is excited and heads to the sofa. Daddy is there with a smile and a chair, “Daddy,” she asks, “will you please do my hair?”

Join Beth and her Daddy on a heart-warming story, which celebrates the unique and special relationship between a father and child. The perfect rhyming picture book read for every family, this is a book to be shared time and time again. This is the first book in the ‘Daddy Do My Hair?’ series.

We loved it!!

One evening I sat down with both my children and read this with them. They both loved it, even Sebastian, who is nine and more into reading by himself: the story, the colour and the great art drew them in instantly. I love that the book not only covers the issues that come with having afro hair but also that relationship between Daddy and Beth and the ritual that comes with asking Daddy to do her hair. I am a total Daddy's girl so I completely related to this story.

My daughter, Ruby, loves her Dad doing her hair and actually prefers when he does it, apparently Mummy pulls her hair too much. Her hair is very wavy and I think my husband just handles it better. Even though the character didn't look like her I think she really related to Beth. I think she liked the fact that Beth looked like a young version of Mummy. She however was overjoyed to see the cover of the next book Hope's Braids as I think she saw herself in this more.

As well as my Afro Caribbean friends, I shared the 'Daddy do My Hair' story with my Caucasian friends and their kids loved it too. Some had curly hair or red hair or hair that wasn't normally depicted in books and when my red haired friend saw Hope she too was giddy with excitement. They also also loved the Daddy daughter angle which isn't explored very much in children's books.

All in all, we loved it and it was nice to share such a great story with my kids. Sebastian really loved it and is now growing out his hair again. Maybe he'll let Daddy do twists like Beth's in his hair.

Tola Okogwu had been working on a YA fiction book for three years and had never considered writing a picture book until she had her daughter and noticed the distinct lack of diversity in picture book characters. It’s important to Tola that her daughter reads well and widely but also that she, and other kids like her, see themselves reflected in the books they read.

Daddy Do My Hair? Beth's Twists is a book that celebrates fathers and natural curly hair. It’s a simple and beautifully illustrated rhyming story that makes for great parent-child reading time; something which has been proven to greatly aid children’s literacy. Daddy and Beth are characters that everyone - including a severely underrepresented demographic - can identify with and enjoy reading about.

Dreadlocs and sister locs are essentially another way of styling your hair simply by having little to no manipulation of the strands. The concept of locking hair became popular in urban culture by Rastafarians from Jamaica, though it had its origins elsewhere.

Mainstream locs are generally not considered to be as symbolic as their more rugged predecessors which stood as a statement of rebellion; today locs tend to be more refined and worn as just another style. This style is very unique as it is semi-permanent and therefore when making a decision to loc or not to loc you should think about it carefully.

Here are some benefits, disadvantages and tips that you should consider when deciding if you should loc your hair.

Benefits of Locs

The first benefit of locing your hair is that it can be much more economical than other hair decisions. As opposed to having processed hair, it normally turns out to be way more affordable to sport natural locs. This is obvious when we contrast the frequency of salon visits to maintain a perm versus taking care of your own locs.

Alongside this benefit is the perk of not having harmful chemicals constantly in contact with your hair and scalp. The chemical ingredients in solutions like relaxers and curls activators can be very harsh and often result in long-term damage such as breakage and the thinning of hair.

Another benefit of having locs is that they usually encourage your hair to grow really quickly. This fast growth is in part due to the lack of manipulation of your hair. Less manipulation such as combing hair, when combined with drastically reduced exposure to chemicals often leads to fuller, longer and stronger hair follicles.

Locs are also easier to maintain the processed hair. You can expect to spend a lot less time thinking about which style to wear, as your locs will always be sufficient enough to be a style on their own. When you do decide on styling however, there are a myriad of options to choose from ranging from formal up do’s to relaxed pony tails.

Finally, another benefit to consider before locking your hair is that although locs are normally tightly interwoven strands of hair and are widely considered to be a permanent decision, it is in fact possible to reverse the locing process in most cases. It may take a while but it has been done and therefore it is possible.

Disadvantages Involved In Doing Locs

One issue you may face in the initial stages of your loc journey is the awkwardness of the baby stage. If you had started with really low hair, you may not feel as comfortable with your baby locs. It may take some time to adjust as your locs grow and become more flexible.

Locs are increasingly becoming more popular but there are still people who stigmatize this style and label it negatively. You will need to have a thick skin if you are to ignore the ramblings of naysayers are continue on your journey anyway. Just remember the reasons you chose to loc your hair in the first place and focus on them.

If locs are done too small, they face the danger of simply just falling off, because of strain, leaving a gap where your loc once was. To avoid this make sure that enough hair is allocated to each loc in the initial stages. Doing so will allow your locs to grow strong with just the right amount of thickness.

Another disadvantage that should be considered is the fact that products, lint and other things might build up in your hair more often than before. This however shouldn’t be a big issue if you practice to clean your locs properly and regularly.

Methods Of Locking Your Hair

Here is something else to consider in choosing whether to loc or not: the method you will use. This is a very important step in this journey and is dependent on the size, your current length and hair type. Here are some ways of starting:

1.Starting with two strand twists or braids

2. Starting with comb coils (twisting hair around a comb to create uniform locs, with a sort of wax to hold it in place)

3. Interlocking or sister locking (essentially having your roots knotted with a special needle)

4. Freeform (leaving your hair to grow how it wants to without combing or detangling)

All the best with your decision and please make sure to take into consideration your hair type, lifestyle and preferences.

About Us

We are AfroDeity

AfroDeity was started by a scientist, entrepreneur, mum and proud geek. This blog started a record of her hair journey and a resource to help others find out more about themselves and their natural hair. Over the years it has transformed into a resource for hair, skin, fitness and healthy eating. Read on whether you are relaxed or natural, from the UK, Europe or further.

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All content provided on this blog is for informational purposes only. The owner of this blog makes no representations as to the accuracy or completeness of any information on this site or found by following any link on this site.

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